SBM Offshore-designed foundations of the Provence Grand Large floating wind farm were floated out this week at the fabrication yard in Fos-sur-Mer, France.
Eiffage Metal, the Fos-sur-Mer fabrication yard owner, said Monday:”The three [floating foundations] of this [offshore wind farm] were assembled in our plant in Fos-sur-Mer. These tripod-shaped structures have two submersible buoys at their ends, between which is an innovative anchoring system with tensioned lines. They are 45 m high and will support wind turbines capable of producing 8.4 MW.”
The three foundations, which will feature Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbines, are planned to be installed at the Provence Grand Large pilot floating wind farm off Marseille. This will be the first floating wind farm in France.
Back in 2016, SBM Offshore won a deal with EDF Renouvelables for the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of three floating units and its mooring system for the project Provence Grand Large.
In September 2022, SBM Offshore awarded BOA a contract to float off the three foundations using its Boa Barge 36.
In its quarterly report released on May 11, SBM Offshore said that the construction of the three Provence Grand Large floating foundations had been completed, and that preparation was ongoing for the load-out operations to allow subsequently for the integration of the three turbines with a capacity of 8.4 MW each by Siemens Gamesa.
Upon completion of the turbine integration and pre-commissioning phase, SBM Offshore will perform the offshore installation of the floaters and the anchoring systems. The Provence Grand Large floating offshore wind pilot farm targets electricity generation before the end of 2023.